A Member of the planning commission, Dr Shamsul Alam, has said special emphasis will be placed on climate-related issues—in a bid to counter the ill-effects of climate change in Bangladesh.
He remarked this while addressing the inauguration ceremony of the Third Annual National Conference on Urban Resilience to Climate Change, on Sunday.
The three-day conference, organized by the International Centre for Climate Change and Development (ICCCAD), began at 9.30am at the Institute of Architects Bangladesh (IAB) in Dhaka.
The Director of ICCCAD, Dr Saleemul Huq, chaired the program, while Dr Shamsul, member of planning commission and senior secretary of the Economic Relations Department, attended the event as its chief guest.
Addressing the program, Dr Shamsul said: “Climate change is a very important issue in the development sector. Urbanization is a symptom of consistent development, but rapid urbanization has to be managed because of its close ties to climate change.
“In the upcoming five-year plan, the commission will give special emphasis to climate-related issues.”
Meanwhile, a keynote speech was delivered by Dr John I Carruthers, a professor at George Washington University, USA.
Discussing the Padma Multipurpose Bridge Project, Dr John said: “Because of the Padma Bridge project, the importance of Khulna city will further grow—due to an increase in economic activities.
“The increased economic activity will put further pressure on the Sundarbans. So, the authorities concerned must make a serious effort to safeguard the environment and mitigate climate change in the region. The rising sea level must also be taken into consideration.”
An award ceremony is scheduled to take place, as part of the conference, on November 20—to honour those who made significant contributions to mitigating climate change.
